Patronage effects of off-peak service improvements in regional public transport

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to look into patronage effects of extended supply outside peak hours on regional public transport services. Previous studies have shown that the service frequency is an attribute of great importance for regional passengers, but little is known about the details regarding peak and off-peak frequencies or service hours. The present study addresses this knowledge gap, departing from the hypothesis that additional off-peak supply means more flexibility for the passengers in terms of departure time options, and possibly also a sense of security for passengers who are uncertain about the time of their (return) trips. Essentially, the added off-peak departures may attract more passengers even if they normally do not or only occasionally use the off-peak services. The patronage effects are explored through four case studies from the region of Scania in southern Sweden. The cases include regional rail and bus services where substantial improvements have been made outside peak hours, resulting in at least hourly all-day services. The results of the study provide new insights into the fundamental planning policy trade-off between maximum frequency and span of public transport services in urban peripheries and rural areas. Importantly, the results suggest that improved time coverage may lead to substantial patronage growth, and this growth is evident also during peak hours, despite unaltered peak hour frequencies. Hence, off-peak departures cannot be assessed only through patronage levels in isolated time periods, let alone on the individual departures.

Investigating heterogeneity in travel behaviour change when implementing soft transport interventions: A latent class choice model

“…Under scenarios S1, S2, S3 and S6, the probabilities of Group B traveling by car are 32%, 25%, 18% and 26%, respectively, of choosing the public transport. Previous studies [13, 44, 45] demonstrated the importance of improved accessibility, improved time coverage, bus lane and headway‐based holding of public transit service. However, the impacts of multiple factors and traveller subdivision have not been fully explored. Travel happiness has significant impacts on mode choices.…”

Ensuring sustainable mobility in urban periphery, rural areas and remote regions

“…Some of them could be contextualized as innovative mobility solutions, but largely they are based on the classical means of transport. Hansson et al [ 3 ] analyze the wider effects on overall railway patronage arising from filling interval gaps of local railway services in off-peak hours. They analyzed the effect on public transport usage in four cases in southern Sweden, where at least hourly all-day rail or bus services were newly introduced, filling interval gaps.…”

“…Such additional services address the difficulties of rural public transport as pointed out by Poltimäe et al [ 8 ] that public transport supply it is often not flexible enough to respond to the diverse travel needs of the users. Hansson et al [ 3 ] demonstrate that such improved coverage of longer hours leads to overall patronage growth throughout the day. This is an important addition to the knowledge to understand the benefit of systematic and regular public transport services in rural contexts, which would enhance the opportunities of its use and results in higher ridership.…”